Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend E.Huseynli / The Armenian captive, Valerie Stepanyan, who is now in Azerbaijan, wants to refuse his Armenian citizenship, said the Press Secretary of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, Eldar Sabiroglu, on 2 August. According to him, Stepanyan fears returning to Armenia. "To our knowledge, due to Stepanyan's position, Armenia's special service began to oppress his family," Sabiroglu said.
Stepanyan was taken prisoner by Azerbaijan during his military service in the Armed Forces of Armenia.